"In the critical days and weeks ahead, it is vital that the international community stand united in impressing upon all relevant actors in Haiti the need to set aside their narrow partisan interests and work towards a better future for their country," he said.

"Haiti is at a crossroads. The choices made in coming days will determine whether the country continues to move forward along the path to stability and long-term development. The recommendations of the OAS technical mission provide the elements of a path out the current crisis and merit our full support," he added, pledging full UN support "to ensure that dialogue, and respect for the country's laws and institutions ultimately prevail."

A peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, currently with nearly 12,000 military and police personnel, has been on the ground in Haiti since mid-2004 after then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile amid violent unrest.

Giving the Council an update on the humanitarian situation in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos warned of the "urgent need for massive mobilization activities to promote prevention and early treatment" in the cholera epidemic, which has already infected almost 200,000 people and killed over 3,700 since October.

She noted that Haiti has "ideal conditions" for cholera's spread, with poor and non-existent water, sanitation, and healthcare infrastructure, population density especially in the urban slums, and lack of knowledge of how to prevent infections through hygienic steps.